We're talking about bowling. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about bowling, not football, not basketball, not baseball, but we're talking about bowling. Not the sports that we go out there and die for and played every game like it's the last but we're talking about bowling man. How silly is that?

I still can't say "ball sport" without laughing, but hey, it is a ball sport, and a woman just destroyed the top men in it. Reilly's hyperbole is an overreaction, but the fact that almost no one's covered this seemed interesting. Oh, and grum@work, meant to link that brief "previously," thanks.

After reading that synopsis, I perused the article expecting it to be a string of jokes, but it appears to be serious. Look this is a great accomplishment for her as a person (or at least I assume it is--I've never heard of this event before) and she certainly deserved to be proud of it, but to assert that this is "The greatest moment in women's sports" is absurd.

Bowling barely cracks the long list of mainstream sports, and I fail to see how men enjoy any significant advantage over women that a woman winning a major bowling event is significant on a gender level.

I thought they said this was the first time they ever allowed a woman in the tournament.

It is.

The PBA's marketing department threw a gutter ball by not getting this achievement more attention. It definitely is a huge milestone in women's sports history.

We're talking about bowling. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about bowling, not football, not basketball, not baseball, but we're talking about bowling. Not the sports that we go out there and die for and played every game like it's the last but we're talking about bowling man. How silly is that?

So the sports you care about are ones "we go out there and die for" but bowling's a joke? News flash: All sports are pointless timewasters to the unconverted. Even football, basketball and baseball. (My wife makes this observation at least 3-5 times a week. Only this year's Olympics escaped her withering gaze.)

As a former par bowler (200 avg over a period of time) I can comprehend the significance of this. It is generally difficult for women to compete with men successfully in professional bowling because of the way they run their tournaments. For example, to win the tournament, she had to bowl more than 50 games in a 5 day period. Also, she uses a 15 pound bowling ball where the men generally use a 16 pound ball (which is the heaviest allowed by the rules). The extra pound does make a difference. In addition, the lanes are set up with their dressing (oil is a more familiar term) in ways that are not commonly set up in other tournaments.

The shame of this is that there are more people who bowl regularly in the U.S. than most of the other participation sports. Only a few sports like baseball/softball can boast the participation numbers. This should be a sport that can relate to the average person and therefore get them interested in watching. It is a shame that the following has gotten to be as bad as it has. Back in the 70's and 80's, bowling had such a following that ABC had it on every Sunday afternoon and had good ratings every week. Some of the bowlers of that era were household names.

She accomplished something that had never been done in bowling and nearly all forms of top level competition. That is a wonderful thing in itself. It is just a shame that it had to happen in a sport that has so small a loyal following. I can only hope that some day bowling will get back to the position it had in the past. That would be great.

Classic lines. Although the highlight one may have been unintentional.

One difference I see in the PBA and the NFL, for instance, is that so many little kids grow up here wanting to be in the NFL. The same cannot be said for bowling so this isn't exactly like a woman kicked the Super Bowl winning field goal, but is still a significant milestone for the fairer.

I thought they said this was the first time they ever allowed a woman in the tournament.

They said it was the first time a woman had qualified. Which hints that they have tried before but doesn't specifically say so.

Also, I gotta say the writers idea of the perfect woman is a far cry from mine.

Just the opposite, I think. If women sports can only gain popularity or credibility by competing against men, it is bad for women's sports not good. It makes women's sports a minor league instead of a separate league with different competitors and a different style of play. Women's sports can stand on their own. The 1999 World Cup is an example. Making Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain known to the world and little girls everywhere want to play soccer.

Thanks, bperk, I think you have carried along at least some of what I was trying to or wanted to say. I'm not a woman, but I think I would be offended if someone wanted to assert that the high water mark in women's athletics was a woman winning a bowling tournament. Great moment for her--sure, but greatest moment for women--not so much. I also wasn't sure which accomplishments to place at the top, but I think the 1999 World Cup is a solid example.